Album Review: New York Now & Then from Omer Avital
Album: New York Now & Then
Artist: Omer Avital
Websites: https://www.omeravital.com/
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/omer-avital/7423061
Swing jazz through the ages can be discerned in bassist-leader Omer Avital's 2025 contribution New York Now & Then. Spirited and fluent in the language of cabaret blues, the music recharges the soul with an uplifting trajectory and animated musings that are aesthetically pleasing to the ear.
Joined by Edo Gur on trumpet and flugelhorn, Yonathan Guedj on alto saxophone, Alexander Levin on tenor saxophone, Evan Amoroso on trombone, and alternating Eviatar Slivnik and Itay Morchi on drums, Avital leads the sextet, with himself on bass, into an assortment of energetic romps, cozy strides and reflective ballads. Clutching the idyllic idioms of tradtional swing and incorporating modern jazz sensibilities, Avital blends the past with the present seamlessly.
The elegant chatter in the horns imbue "Sheik Ali" with a moonlight glow, as the bubbly toots of Gur's trumpet enliven the track, stitching the earthy tones of Levin's tenor sax into the percolating mixture. The brisk pace of the title track rack up the horns, blasitng and receding in unison as the they scroll energized chord patterns, punctuating a big band resonance.
"IDKN" ambles along at a comfy gait, as saxophones blaze sweet streaks into the arrangement. Yonathan Guedj's alto sax sets out alone, inlaying a steamy path that breathes of boldness and refinery. The balladry wisps infuse reflective musings along "Dessert Wind," permeating a introspective mood as swirling saxophones quiver and smolder.
"Bedford Stuyvesant" features the smooth bluesy timbres of vocalist Lucy Wijnands as the steamy tenor sax embeds silky motifs across the track. "Zozo Blues" is a sultry arrangement with the sleek swagger of the saxophones partnered with the slow stride of Avital bass. The tenor sax talks intimately to the listener, puffing and purring with a leisurely strut, conversant in the language of cabaret.
The album was recorded between 2020 and 2024 at Wilson Live, a club in
Bushwich, Brooklyn owned by Avital. It
was during the worldwide lockdowns when being masked and social distancing was
mandated. Avital tells in the press
release, "New York Now & Then is my love letter to the city—a reflection of its energy, its
diversity, and its ever-evolving jazz tradition.”
The arrangements are finessed to a refined sheen, uplifting and
aesthetically pleasing to the ears.
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